Overcoming
by ScienceGeek
Summary: On a mission to rescue a covert Tok'ra operative, Sam faces her past with Jolinar. Season 8 setting.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The characters in this story do not belong to me, no infringement was intended. This story was written for the Sam Carter fanficathon on Live Journal. Prompts were: Offworld assignment, some humor, and Sam in charge. Many thanks to PHDelicious for the wonderful beta, and to MandySG1 for the support.**

Only the warning klaxon and Walter's voice over the base PA announcing an unscheduled off-world activation was able to rouse one Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter from her work. She sighed as she looked up to the flashing red light, reluctantly setting her wrench back into her tool kit. Once she hit the door she was already jogging to the control room, arriving just moments ahead of Daniel and Teal'c. "Walter? What have we got?"

Before the gate tech could answer her, General O'Neill bounded down the steps, flashing a quick grin to his former team. "You should hear how twitchy the president gets when he hears those alarms over the phone. What have we got, Kids?"

Walter half-turned in his chair to address both superior officers, "Tok'ra IDC Sir. Ma'am."

"Great! Open the Iris, Colonel." Jack grinned down at SG1's leader as she pressed her palm into the iris key, "Maybe Dad can pry you out of your lab for a few hours."

"Sir…" The General's latest attempt to get Sam to reduce her work hours had involved his yo-yo and several attempts at a 'round the world' trick that had nearly decimated her workbench. She'd slipped his yo-yo into her pocket after his third unsuccessful try. His mumblings of "insubordination to a superior officer's personal distraction device" had been met with only a chirped "Yes sir!" before Sam's full attention was back on her work. Shaking the memory from her head, she glanced up at her CO, "I…"

"O'Neill…" Teal'c's interruption spared Sam from coming up with a response, she looked up in time to see an unfamiliar woman striding down the ramp. She turned to the General, a frown forming on her face.

"That's not Dad."

Jack lifted a brow as he watched the SFs raise their weapons to greet the newcomer, "No, it isn't. I thought the rest of them weren't speaking to us anymore Carter?"

After a pause Sam shrugged, her eyes darting back to the woman now standing facing several automatic weapons. "Not in any meaningful way, they're not, Sir. Not since Delek ended our alliance with them."

"Maybe they want to discuss re-negotiating, Jack?"

"Sure Daniel, and I'm the new owner of the Minnesota Wild hockey franchise." He leaned into the microphone, addressing the troops in the gate room below, "Stand down." Turning, he shrugged to SG1, "Let's go see what she wants. Bet they need something."

"Jack!"

"Daniel."

Sam rolled her eyes at their bickering as she and Teal'c followed them into the gate room. Jack and SG1 moved in front of the line security guards to greet the woman, "So," Jack drew out the last syllable of the word, lifting his arms in greeting as he addressed the woman. "The Tok'ra. Long time, no see. To be honest, when we got your call, we were expecting Jacob and Selmak."

The Tok'ra woman stood at the foot of the ramp, hands folded over her stomach. The monotonous tan of her long garment did little to hide tension in her stance, or the way her hazel eyes darted about the room, seeming to take in each person, weapon, and block of gray concrete in turn.

"General O'Neill, Colonel Carter," the women held Sam's eyes for a moment, "Selmak and Jacob had duties with the council, or I'm sure they would have preferred to be here in my place." When Sam nodded, the woman continued, "Dr. Jackson. Teal'c. I am Belda; I have come to request your aid."

"Of course you have!"

Sam frowned at the General just as Daniel mumbled a reprimand under his breath, though neither had much effect on Jack who just swept his arm toward the stairs to the briefing room, "After you. Carter, you and the boys might as well sit in on this too."

Jack sat at the head of the briefing table, Sam and Teal'c on one side of him, Daniel and Belda on the other. Jack's fingers moved slowly over the varnished surface before he smirked up at the group. "Look at this. Just like old times. So, Belda, what can we do for you?"

"I require your assistance in locating a missing Tok'ra. His name is Regarus, he was last on Lemnos, a planet once held by the Goa'uld Hephaestus."

Sam frowned as she turned to the woman, "That's not a Goa'uld we've heard of. He isn't a System Lord. Daniel?"

The team's archeologist shook his head, "No. I haven't heard of him. Not as a Goa'uld, anyway. There was a Greek god Hephaestus. He was patron to smiths and an inventor. Interestingly, he was the only physically imperfect god. He was lame, and unattractive. And cast out of Olympus because of it. He landed on the island of Lemnos, where he built his great forge. He was actually married to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty which was…"

"All right Daniel, I think we got it." Jack turned back to their visitor, "So. This Hefalump guy gets kicked out by the System Lords and goes to Lemnos and starts a workshop?"

"Well, yes," Belda agreed, "At it's most basic. He was a minor Goa'uld, swore allegiance to whichever System Lord showed an interest at any given time. But he was working on…something to facilitate changing that. Regarus was sent undercover to try to find out what Hephaestus was planning."

"And you don't know if he succeeded."

"No, Colonel Carter, we do know. He did succeed. But Among Hephaestus' experiments was a device to control weather. The one he created was imperfect, and caused the weather on Lemnos to become very erratic, severe, and dangerous."

"Yeah," Jack nodded, "We've seen the havoc weather devices can cause."

"Have you?" Belda paused for a moment before going on, "Then you can understand how frightened the people were. How they rushed to their 'god' begging him to protect them. They were very angry to find out that Hephaestus was as impotent as they were in controlling the weather. They rioted. And Hephaestus was killed. Regarus managed to escape."

"Then I do not understand, Belda." Teal'c spoke for the first time since the Tok'ra's arrival, "If he escaped, then how is he still lost on Lemnos?"

"Because he returned. After several months, he judged that the chaos would have tapered, and that he would be able to slip in, unnoticed. Hephaestus was working on another device that would defeat other Goa'uld. Regarus went to retrieve it."

"Some kind of weapon?"

"I do not know, General O'Neill. He only told me that it was very important."

Sam leaned back in her chair, shaking her head slowly. "One thing I don't understand. If Regarus went to find some…" she glanced at O'Neill and shrugged her shoulders, "weapon…why isn't the Council looking for him? Any weapon one Goa'uld could use against another would be just as useful to the Tok'ra."

"They aren't convinced that Regarus' find is valuable."

Sam frowned, shaking her head again. It didn't seem like the Tok'ra council to pass up a chance to have anything that might be of use against the Goa'uld. "Why not?"

"Because he wouldn't tell anyone what it was. It wasn't deemed worth the risk."

"Oh, here we go…" Jack rolled his eyes as he looked between Sam and Belda, "Carter, no offense to Dad, but this is just typical. Some arrogant Tok'ra won't play nice with the others and gets himself into hot water. The council won't sanction going after him out of spite, but they send Belda here to get SG1 to do it for them. Tell me why I should risk my team for Tok'ra politics?"

"Jack. Even if that's true…" Daniel removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Even if it's true-we might be able to use the weapon…or whatever it is."

"Until the Tok'ra sweep in and claim it for their own?" Jack shook his head, "How long will that take, Daniel?"

Belda was quite for a moment before answering, "Perhaps the council might demand the device, or Regarus will intend to keep it. I give you my word that I will not. Either way it is still in your best interest to help me. Because if there is a weapon, we need to get to it before Anubis does."

Sam turned to Jack, meeting his gaze. "Sir. She is right about that. If there is something that can be used to elevate one Goa'uld above the others, we need to keep it out of Anubis' hands."

"Yeah, Carter." Jack sighed, "When you put it that way…SG1 has a go."

"Thank you, sir."

Jack gave a curt nod, "You leave at 0800. Daniel, see what else you can dig up on this Hef guy before you leave. It might be useful. Dismissed."

As the others filed out of the briefing room, the General called out to Sam, "Carter. Give me a minute."

"Sir?"

"You know this could be a trap."

"Yes, sir. Though given the state of our alliance with the Tok'ra, if it is a trap, whoever set it is probably not expecting SG1."

"Even so, I wish I was going with you."

"Sir," Sam stiffened, "We can handle this, you know."

"Relax Colonel; I have faith in your abilities. I just…wish I was going along, that's all."

Sam glanced through the glass wall separating the briefing room from Jack's office, his in-tray was overflowing already, and Walter was there adding more to the pile. "I understand sir," she turned back to him and smiled, "We'll bring you a souvenir."

"Yeah, well," Jack grinned as he turned back to his office, "Just make sure it isn't one of those 'My old team went to Lemnos, and all I got was this T-shirt' things. My closet is already overflowing."


	2. Chapter 2

The wormhole snapped closed behind Teal'c as Sam made her way down the stone steps leading to Lemnos' gate. The platform that held the Stargate was at the edge of what once must have been a large town; broken cobblestones of several streets shot out from the dais like the spokes of a wheel. Beyond the circle where they stood were dozens of stone buildings, some two stories tall. Many were damaged, roofs collapsed, walls caved in, doors and windows smashed; a few were no more than the crumbling stone foundations that had once supported the structure. Sam couldn't see any that were unscathed. The streets were surprisingly free of debris, though a layer of soot and dust coated every surface, and seemed to linger in the air severely limiting visibility.

Teal'c stepped off the platform to stand next to Sam, head turning slowly as he surveyed their surroundings. "This town would appear to be deserted."

"Maybe," Sam agreed, "Belda said that the weather anomalies started over a year ago. People might have migrated out of the cities thinking they'd find cleaner air."

"If there is any," Daniel joined the pair, brushing dust off his jacket, "If this is from any major volcanic eruption, it could cover this entire continent."

"Would the residents of this town be aware of that, Daniel Jackson?"

"Probably not."

Sam nodded, "All right then. We've got to find somebody if we're going to find out what happened to the Regarus." She pointed her P90 down a street to their right, "That way. The buildings are farther apart, it might lead out of town. Teal'c, you have our six."

"Very well, Colonel Carter."

"Keep your eyes open, Daniel."

They encountered more of the same as they made their way down the narrow street Sam had chosen. Everywhere there were derelict buildings without doors or windows, tattered cloth hanging from some of the frames. The only items on the street were an occasional bench or pot made of stone. They explored some of the buildings as they moved toward what they hoped was the town exit. The first few buildings had been stripped of all but the largest furniture, great chests and huge bed frames were all that remained. As they moved further from the gate, even these were gone; leaving only splinters and shards of wood where the furnishings once stood. As desolate as it was, Sam knew the state of the buildings meant they were going in the right direction. People had come this far back into town for their large furniture, probably to be used as fuel.

It was more than an hour before the tightly packed buildings began to give way to dirt fields and dying trees. The cobbled street they had followed stopped just at the edge of town, leaving only a path in the dirt barely discernable from the fields around it. Despite evidence that people had once lived in the town, they'd seen no sign of habitation in the time they'd been on Lemnos. Sam paused outside a small stone building near the head of the path, motioning the others behind it. She pulled a pair of binoculars from her vest, scanning the countryside before them. "There's very little cover from here out. The good news is that leaves fewer places to catch us in an ambush."

Daniel lifted his eyes to the gray sky, his tone dry. "Very reassuring."

Sam glanced at him with a smirk before stowing her binoculars back into her vest. She rested her hands on her weapon and turned back toward the path. "All right lets…."

A noise interrupted her, she stopped as she neared the corner of the structure, holding up a hand to signal the others to silence. She nodded toward the building and listened for a moment before she heard a soft rustling again. She gestured Teal'c around to the back of the building, while she and Daniel flanked the front entrance. They rounded the door carefully, the mag lights on their P90s cutting into the gloom to reveal a room empty but for the remnants of a stairway that had once led to a loft overhead. Sam gestured Daniel to the right, while she rounded the structure from the left, their lights coming to rest on a figure crouched behind the steps.

The girl that looked up at them from eyes hidden behind thin arms was no more than fourteen. She appeared undernourished; her thin cheeks making her brown eyes seem too large for her face. Her clothing, like nearly everything else, was dusty but showed signs of frequent mending. She was curled so tightly under the remnants of the steps that had Sam and Daniel not heard the rustling in the small building, they might have missed her. At their appearance, the girl shrank back into the steps, gasping softly as splinters pierced her skin.

"Hey," Daniel crouched next to her, reaching a hand halfway across the space to the child. "Hey. We're not going to hurt you, are we Sam?"

"No, of course not." The girl's eyes widened as Sam reached for her radio, "It's all right. I'm just calling our friend, to tell him that everything's okay in here." She mimicked Daniel and crouched to the girl's level, smiling at her as her finger touched the radio button. "Teal'c?"

"All is clear here, Colonel Carter."

"Here too. We've found a little girl. We'll be outside in a bit. Carter out." She sat back on her heels as Daniel reached for the child again, his hand hovering in the area between them.

"I'm Daniel. This is Sam. We're explorers." He smiled, "Can you tell us your name?"

It wasn't until Sam nodded; adding her request to Daniel's that the girl answered. "Litta...Melitta."

"That's a pretty name," Sam held her hand out to the girl as well, "Melitta, why don't you let us help you out of there?"

For a moment, the girl moved only her eyes, which focused intently on Sam. Finally she lifted her own hand, placing it in Sam's. "Good," Sam squeezed her fingers gently and with an apologetic shrug to Daniel, she helped the girl slide out into the open. "Are you all right Melitta? Did you get hurt hiding back there?"

"No." Melitta didn't release Sam's hand as she stood, her eyes darting around the room. "I don't know you. You…have you come from far away?"

Sam nodded, "Yes. We came through the Stargate. The Chappa'ai." With that, the girl snatched her hand from Sam's, darting back behind the staircase.

"You have come to avenge Hephaestus!"

"No!" Daniel shook his head, moving to intercept Melitta, "No, no, of course not! We're not here about Hephaestus. We don't support the Goa'uld. We're just…looking for someone who might have been lost here."

Melitta looked from Daniel to Sam, "You're looking for a friend?"

"Well," Sam shrugged, "A friend of a friend. We were told he might be here. We just want to make sure he's all right, and help him, if we can."

"All right," Melitta nodded, gesturing toward the door. "Then I will take you to Mother."

The girl's home was across mucky fields where little grew, but Melitta proudly pointed out new crops, planted from seeds saved from before the catastrophes. Sam walked ahead with her, while Daniel and Teal'c watched their six. Not wanting to spook the girl, Sam chatted easily with her about trivialities in her daily life. By the time they reached the girl's home Melitta was grasping Sam's hand, beaming at the woman. She led Sam gingerly over boards laid to the front door, explaining that the dust would often hide holes in the ground, causing accidents. She pulled a blanket away from the doorway. "Mother. I'm back."

An older woman stood over a rickety stove at the far end of the room, pulling wet cloths out of a pot and hanging them on ropes strung across the corner. A baby lay sleeping on a pallet near the door, and a young boy piled wood near the stove.

"You're late Litta, I hope you found…" Her words trailed off as she turned, reaching a hand out to yank the boy behind her as she spotted first Sam, then Daniel and Teal'c following her into the room. "Melitta! Who are these people?"

"They're travelers Mother, from the Chappa'ai, looking for a lost friend."

"Please," Sam squeezed the girl's hand gently before stepping forward, "We didn't mean to get your daughter into trouble. We're just looking for someone who might have come here in the last few weeks. We're not here to cause trouble."

The woman skirted the side of the room to pick up the baby, "Anything new causes trouble. Why'd your friend come here?"

Daniel stepped forward, "He was…he was here before, and left something important. He came to get it back." He held up his hands before the woman could react, "He…he wasn't with Hephaestus. In fact, he's one of many people working against the Goa'uld. That's why it's important we find him."

"No one stood up to the Goa'uld until the time of the catastrophes."

"You are incorrect," Teal'c spoke for the first time since encountering the girl, "Perhaps on Lemnos no one challenged the Goa'uld, but on other planets there are great rebellions. People of this galaxy are fighting the Goa'uld daily. And often winning."

"You are Jaffa!"

"Indeed. But I do not serve the Goa'uld."

"You fight them?"

When Teal'c nodded the woman eased her hold on the boy. "And you win?"

"Often."

The woman turned sharply to the young boy, "Davain! Find your father and uncles. Tell them we have guests." She turned back to SG1, gesturing to chairs at a table, "Sit. We've already had a meal today, but you can sit and wait. My husband will know the answers to your questions."

"It's all right," Sam smiled at Melitta before taking a seat, Daniel following suit, while Teal'c remained standing near the door. "We've got our own food with us. We'd be happy to share." She reached into her pack pulling out several protein bars and laying them on the table. "I can't promise they taste any good, but they're filling. Go ahead."

Melitta looked at her mother, who nodded brusquely, before reaching for the foil wrapped packages. She took one for herself, and handed another to her mother before taking the seat next to Sam's. The mother sighed, pocketing the protein bar, "I've got laundry to finish."

"I'm sorry about this," Melitta whispered to Sam, "She wasn't always like this. It's just hard to know who to trust these days. Ariston runs everything, but there are others…groups who don't like how he's doing things. They're always fighting. We try to stay out of it, when we can. But Ariston controls the springs, it's all the fresh water around."

"We understand," Sam gave the girl's arm a pat, "Don't let it bother you. Eat your protein bar. I think that one's supposed to taste like peanut butter." At the girl's puzzled look she grinned, "Daniel, I'm going to have a talk with Teal'c, could you explain peanut butter to Melitta?"

"Sure. Hey!" Daniel pulled a piece of paper from his pack, "Have you ever played tic-tac-toe?"

Sam rose from the table to join Teal'c by the door. "There's not much cover between here and the town, did you see which way the boy went?"

"Indeed. He ran toward the rear of this house, I could no longer see him when he crested that hill."

She leaned against the doorjamb, her eyes scanning the yard they had crossed, "That's likely the direction someone will approach from. Everything else around here is too open; there would be no way to sneak up on us from anywhere but there."

"Indeed. I will keep watch."

"I know you will Teal'c."

As Sam coached Melitta into winning her fifth game of tic-tac-toe, games Sam knew Daniel had to be losing purposely, she heard Teal'c's call from the doorway.

"Colonel Carter, several men approach."

Melitta's mother spoke quickly, "Oh, that's just my husband and his brothers, come home for their supper, I expect."

Sam stared at the woman, her too-quick reassurance setting off alarm bells. She nodded, rising with one hand on her weapon, "We'll just get out of their way then. Daniel." She glanced down at his weapon as she strolled to the other side of the door from Teal'c.

As two men entered the room, Melitta jumped from the table, "That's not Father!"

"Quiet girl!" One man reached out to slap Melitta as the other turned to face Sam and Teal'c, whose weapons were pointed casually at them. Behind the men, Daniel had his side arm out and ready.

"Stop!" Sam lifted her weapon, "I think it would be much better for your friend if he didn't touch the girl."

The man growled, facing Sam, "Ariston wants to see you. He didn't say anything about not hitting the girl."

Sam frowned, her nose wrinkling in distaste, "I think we'll pass."

"Yeah? Thais?"

Thais reached out quickly and yanked Melitta to him, his knife going quickly to her throat as the girl's mother screamed. His partner pulled a zat from his tunic and grinned at Sam. "You were saying?"

Sam lifted her P90 higher, "Let her go."

"Thais will cut her, Lady. You know he will. And we got others outside."

Teal'c half turned toward the door, covering it and the room, nodded, "That is true, Colonel Carter."

"Yeah?" Sam glanced at the girl for a moment, then back at the man, "If he cuts her, neither of you will make it out of here alive. How many outside, Teal'c?"

"At least ten."

"Armed?"

"I see only knives and objects which appear to be spears."

"No problem then." Sam pointed her gun at Thais, gesturing him away from the girl. "Let her go."

The man's eyes narrowed, "The girl will still be dead. Be doin her a favor, if you ask me. And if we come back without you, Ariston'll kill us. Don't much matter to me which one of you does it. So do your best, Lady. We'll see how many of you my men can take out before we go, eh?"

"Please!" Melitta's mother cried out, "Please! Ariston has your friend, the one who came through the Chappa'ai recently. I know he does! No one knows where he's keeping him but Ariston…not Thais or Kopris here. Please, don't let them kill Melitta!"

Sam stared at Kopris, eyes narrowed. She had no doubt he would kill the girl, even if it cost him and his men their lives. Then they'd still be no closer to their objective of finding Regarus and his weapon. The local people would be turned against them, Ariston would be alerted to their presence, and an innocent girl would be dead. If they went to meet with Ariston, they might find out something useful. "All right. We'll come with you. Let the girl go."

Kopris gave a nod to Thais who shoved Litta to her mother. Both men ignored the family then, their eyes back on Sam. Kopris gestured toward the door with his zat. "After you."

Ariston had taken up residence in Hephaestus' pyramid, setting himself up as some kind of overlord for the planet. The pyramid was on the other side of the town from the girl's home, but Kopris took the long route, skirting the town, leaving the team no cover at all, should they try to escape. Which was probably the point, but just now Sam had no intention of trying to escape. If anyone would know there whereabouts of Regarus, it was likely to be Ariston. And if either the Goa'uld or the Tok'ra had been working on a weapon, it would be in the pyramid.

Though their captors, Thais in particular, used the long walk to regale SG1 with tales of their leader's benevolence and desire to help the people of Lemnos, Sam couldn't help but be reminded of Pyrus. He too had been hailed as a hero when he'd rid his planet of a Goa'uld, only to enslave them for centuries. The more Thais went on about the wonder that was Ariston, the less Sam was inclined to believe the "hero" had any benign motives at all.

Her instincts were born out as they approached the pyramid and were suddenly surrounded by half a dozen more men, all of these armed with zats. Kopris stepped forward, reaching a hand out to Sam. "We'll take your weapons now."

Sam shook her head, eyes narrowing as she faced the man, her P90 coming up as she spoke. "I don't think so." From the corner of her eye, she could see Teal'c doing the same.

"I wasn't asking." Kopris waved his hands and Sam could hear the tell tale hiss of several zats arming.

"Uh, listen," Daniel was the only member of the team whose weapon wasn't pointed at one of Kopris' men. "We just want to talk to Ariston; we're not here to get in your way. We've come with you willingly, there's no reason for us not to keep our weapons."

"If all you want to do is talk, you'll hand over your weapons. Now. Then we'll take you to Ariston." Kopris turned back to Sam, "Or we'll shoot you with these, and while you're unconscious we'll still take your weapons. Would you rather walk, or be dragged, to see Ariston?"

Sam knew she could take out Kopris before any of the others got a zat blast off, and Teal'c could certainly take at least one of the others. However, as much as she might be tempted to shoot a man who would use a child as a hostage, there were still men behind them, with zats as well. Much as she disliked him, Kopris had a point. Much better to walk in with some semblance of free will to see Ariston, then be dragged in as unconscious prisoners. "Teal'c, stand down."

Teal'c gave a slow nod, removing his gun and his own zat and handing them wordlessly to Thais. He stared at the man for a moment, holding Thais in his gaze before the other man backed down and turned away. Daniel handed his weapons off, glancing nervously at Sam who was still staring at Kopris.

"This is a sign of good faith." Sam slowly unclipped her P90, her words slow and tight. She stared at Kopris as she handed him her weapons, "We expect you to return it."

Ariston was lounging on the throne as SG1 was escorted into his presence. He was a tall man, with long black hair. Though he dressed in the style of the other people the team had seen, homespun garments becoming threadbare with use, he held himself with the same regality as did the Goa'uld. Were it not for his clothing, Sam could almost believe Ariston was a Goa'uld, arranged imperially on his throne for their benefit. He smiled slowly as they entered, sitting up and leaning forward, "Welcome to Lemnos. We don't get many visitors. I am Ariston. I'm told you have questions."

Sam instinctively straightened; chin held high as she addressed the self-proclaimed ruler of the planet. "I'm Colonel Carter, from Earth. This is Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c."

"A Jaffa?" Ariston frowned at the tattoo on Teal'c's forehead, "Why was I not told the strangers brought with them a Jaffa? What god do you serve?"

"I serve no false god." Teal'c stood with his hands clasped behind his back, "All Goa'ulds are false gods."

"A Jaffa without a master? Hephaestus knew of no such thing."

"Then perhaps Hephaestus was not well informed."

Ariston laughed, "Perhaps not. It's certain he wasn't as powerful as he claimed, or he could have saved us from the storms. Maybe he wasn't all knowing, either." He turned back to Sam, beaming widely, "Come. I've prepared a feast in honor of our guests. We will talk better well fed, won't we? I'll answer what questions I can as we eat." He bowed low, eyes on Sam.

She glanced at Daniel and Teal'c with a shrug, and then followed the man from the room. Behind her Teal'c continued to glare at their host as he led the way to an antechamber. "I do not trust him."

Daniel grinned, "You're just sore that he'd never heard of the infamous Shol'va."

Teal'c responded with a lift of his brow, "Even so, Daniel Jackson, I believe we will gain much by being on our guard."

"Always Teal'c. Always."

The table was elaborately set for four, the goblets and plates inlaid with gold and gems. Kopris and his men, clearly not invited to share the feast, stood back against the walls as women and children came in carrying platters piled high with dried meats and fruits, and vegetables preserved in something like vinegar. Crystal clear water flowed from gold pitchers. Sam eyed it all with a deepening frown. The people outside the pyramid ate so little that their ration bars seemed like a banquet, and yet there was more than enough food here to feed the people in this room three times over.

"You do not look pleased, Colonel Carter. I know the food is plain, but it is all that we have."

"It's not that," Sam took the seat he gestured to, next to the one Ariston chose for himself. Daniel and Teal'c lowered themselves into chairs opposite them. "It just seems like…quite a lot. I'm sure…your people would appreciate some of this."

Ariston just waved away her concern, "We are all used to sacrifice in these times, Colonel Carter. Do not concern yourself with it. Eat. Enjoy." He lifted a bit of meat wrapped in a pepper like vegetable and popped it in his mouth before washing it all down with a long draw of water.

Once Sam saw the man drink from the same pitcher from which she and her team had been served, she lifted the glass to her lips. It was much nicer than the water in their canteens. "Ariston. You know we've come through the Chappa'ai to Lemnos." At his nod she continued, "We're looking for someone who came through before us."

"Are you? We don't guard the Chappa'ai as we should. My men are spread so thin as it is."

"Yes," Sam glanced up at Kopris for a moment, "I'm sure they are. But we believe our…friend was coming here." She wasn't going to mention Regarus' objective. She hoped that Ariston and his men had been only low-level servants of the Goa'uld and wouldn't know anything about his specific experiments.

Daniel nodded, taking up where Sam left off, "Yes. He's an archeologist, like me. We study other cultures and their artifacts. He…might have been interested in the pyramid."

"Oh. Well we have had no students coming through to study us or our things. I am sorry." Ariston lifted a handful of dried fruit into his mouth, "However, now that you mention artifacts." He straightened suddenly, all joviality gone from his features. "Perhaps you would be willing to help us?"

Sam frowned, automatically setting the goblet back on the table, "I don't know if we can."

"Oh. I'm sure you will find a way." He looked at his men, snapping his fingers quickly. "Bring them."

Kopris nodded, turned, and left the room, returning in moments carrying a large covered tray. He shoved the platters of food and goblets of water out of the way with one hand, drenching unlucky guests in a spray of water and boiled vegetables as he did. He ignored Daniel who jumped up from the table, brushing the mess from his BDUs, and set the tray in front of Sam. Kopris lifted the cover to reveal a healing device, a ribbon device, and a hand held object that Sam had never before seen.

Ariston gestured to Teal'c as he turned to Sam, "You know of the gods and their ways. Tell us how to use these."

"I can't." Sam sat back calmly in her chair, "I've never seen them before."

"Look closer, Colonel Carter. Perhaps you've just forgotten, there are many worlds beyond the Chappa'ai," Ariston picked up the ribbon device, "It would be a shame if you had merely forgotten."

She just shook her head, mouth tight as she answered. "No. I don't know what they are."

"Oh. Well, we do. We've seen them used. This one," he slid his hand into the ribbon device, "tortures. I've seen Hephaestus use it many times. This," he placed the ribbon device down and picked up the palm sized object Sam was unfamiliar with. "This one kills. Very quickly and quietly. No mess, like the first. I don't know how useful this one would be to me just now, it only kills other Goa'uld." Sam's eyes snapped to Daniel's for a moment, before returning to Ariston's.

"We've never seen something that can kill a Goa'uld as quickly as that."

"Haven't you?" Ariston shrugged, placing his hand on the last object. "This one heals. Don't you think that would be useful to my people?"

"Of course."

Ariston rose quickly from the table, knocking his chair across the room as he did, his voice rising. "Then why won't you tell me how to control them?"

"Because you can't use them." Sam sighed, "Only the Goa'uld can."

"I am afraid I don't believe you." Ariston's voice was once again as soft and pleasant as it had been since they'd met him, but his eyes still glinted darkly. "Kopris."

Kopris reached out and grabbed a fistful of Sam's hair, viciously yanking her half out of her chair.

"Sam!

"Colonel Carter!"

Before either Daniel or Teal'c could move, Kopris' men had once again surrounded them, zats out and ready.

"Those," Ariston informed them conversationally, nodding at the zats, "We know very well how to use." He turned back to Sam who glared at him from beneath the big man's hand. "Now. How do we use them?"

"You can't," she spat back at him.

"Take them to the cell." Four of the men surrounding Daniel and Teal'c moved in to subdue them as Kopris yanked Sam up by her hair. Teal'c shook off one of the men, raising his fist to strike; Thais immediately zatted him, leaving him unconscious on the floor. Two more men moved in to help carry Teal'c, the others shoved Daniel ahead of them.

"Kopris," Ariston motioned to the man as he led Sam away, "I'd like a word with Colonel Carter before she joins the others."

As he turned to comply Sam twisted, pressing his knuckles against her scalp to loosen his grip, then bending his hand back until he released her. She ignored the sounds of zats charging to glare at Kopris. "I can walk myself." She pulled her jacket straight, and then strode across the room to face Ariston. "You wanted to talk?"

Ariston chuckled, "Well done, Colonel. Just remember, we have your friends. In fact," he leaned foreword until his face was mere inches from Sam's. "You might do well to remember that as you think about helping us. That," he gestured to the hand device, "isn't the only way Hephaestus had of torturing people. You wouldn't want me to demonstrate that with your friends, would you?"

"No. Of course not." Sam remained where she was, not backing up as Ariston leaned into her space, "But it won't make a difference, I can't tell you how to work those devices."

Her only answer was a sigh, "Very well. Take her to the others." He waited until Kopris has escorted her to the door before calling out again, "Colonel Carter? Regarus is dead. He wouldn't tell me how to work the devices either. Think about that."


	3. Chapter 3

Teal'c was already sitting up, beginning to recover from the effects of the zat when Kopris shoved Sam roughly into the cell. Daniel jumped up to keep her from stumbling. "Sam, are you all right? Why the hell did he keep you?"

"Relax Daniel, I'm fine." She glanced down at Teal'c, "What about you?"

Teal'c let his head dip slightly, "I am well, Colonel Carter. But I, too, am concerned as to why Ariston kept you behind."

"Mostly to threaten you guys," Sam moved to the cell bars, "You know, torture, murder, listening to his minions go on about how wonderful he is." She gripped the bars, tugging at them experimentally. "The usual."

Daniel held a hand down to Teal'c who used it to rise easily from the floor. "How original."

Teal'c moved to inspect the rear of the cell, "Villains rarely are, Daniel Jackson."

"Got anything back there, Teal'c?"

"I am afraid not, Colonel Carter."

Sam nodded, slipping her arm through the cell bar, stretching for something on the outside wall. "The control panel's out of reach. Daniel?"

The archeologist had climbed onto the cell's lone bench, running his hands over the panels of hieroglyphs that made up the walls. He turned back to Sam, shaking his head. "Nothing. These panels don't come off."

"Great," Sam wriggled her arm back into the cell, "Our luck that Hephaestus would be one of the Goa'ulds that actually had secure cells. Okay then. We wait."

"For?" Daniel dropped back to the floor, glanced around the cell for a moment before shrugging and taking a seat on the bench.

"For Ariston to send for you to be tortured, of course, Daniel."

Daniel lifted his eyes to the ceiling of their small cell, "Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

Teal'c moved to his side, hands clasped behind his back and bowed in the other man's direction. "I do not believe that Colonel Carter intends to allow you to be tortured Daniel Jackson. Even if Thais does seem very eager to share more of Ariston's glory."

Sam grinned at Teal'c, "No. I don't. But when he sends his guards to take you to be interrogated it's going to be our chance to escape."

Daniel sighed, "What about Regarus?"

Sam shook her head, "Ariston told me Regarus is dead and that he thinks Regarus was a Goa'uld. And since we told Ariston Regarus was our friend, he must think we're in league with the Goa'uld." She sighed, "At this point, Ariston's belief that we know how to work those devices is the only thing keeping us alive."

Daniel nodded, "Okay then."

Sam nodded, "All right. I have my knife…" At Daniel's look of surprise she just grinned, "They didn't search us." She reached down to pull it from a boot sheath. "Be ready. We won't get a second chance."

When Ariston's men arrived hours later, the team was ready. Sam sat slumped near the cell door, Daniel crouched at her side. Teal'c stood opposite them, on the other side of the cell.

"She's hurt," Daniel looked up and spat at the men. "What the hell did Kopris do to her when he brought her back here?"

The two guards glanced at one another, one turning to eye Sam warily. "Ariston did not order her to be injured."

"Yeah, well Kopris obviously didn't listen. She's hurt. She could be dying here." Daniel scowled, "Don't just stand there; help me! She's the only one who can answer your boss' questions!"

With that, one of them bent to get a better look at Sam. Teal'c sprang on the other man then, clubbing him with both fists on the back of his head. As he did Sam reached swiftly up, revealing her hidden knife, and plunged it into the first man's leg. As he fell, she pulled his zat gun from his hand. She grimaced as she took the hilt of the knife and pulled it from his flesh. "Sorry about that. Teal'c?"

The Jaffa was standing, the other man's zat already in his hand. "He is unconscious."

Sam slipped the first guard's zat into her thigh holster, "Good. Our objective is that hand device Regarus came here for. We'll start looking in the throne room, and that side room next to it. Teal'c, take point. I'll watch your six." She glanced down the corridor again, "Ready Daniel?" At his nod she stepped into the corridor, "All right. Move out."

The trio traveled steadily through the corridors of the pyramid; communicating easily with mere glances and gestures. Between Sam and Teal'c they avoided discovery all but once. Those men they subdued quickly, and hid their stunned bodies in an unused room. After procuring one of their weapons for Daniel, Sam zatted the lock from the outside ensuring they wouldn't get out for a while. As they neared the throne room Teal'c stopped, holding up his fist. After a moment he turned to the others, voice low. "Do you hear that?"

Sam nodded. "Staff weapons. If Ariston had staff weapons…he would have threatened us with them already."

"Indeed."

Sam glanced in the direction of the blasts, "Someone else has come to join the party."

Daniel nodded, his voice strained, "Anubis."

"Great. Just when I thought we'd have a Jaffa free mission." Sam glanced at the tall man standing beside her, "No offense Teal'c."

"None taken, Colonel Carter."

She nodded toward the corridor leading to the throne room, "They're not expecting us, we have that on our side. We can't let Anubis' forces get that weapon."

She stepped forward, zat ahead of her as she turned the corridor already firing, taking out two Jaffa. Daniel and Teal'c followed, each firing their own zat guns. As they strode ahead Teal'c reached down and took one of the Jaffa's staff weapons, holstering his own zatnikitel.

Sam crouched by the door to the throne room, Daniel behind her, Teal'c across from them. Two Jaffa had taken up flanking positions several feet inside the door behind which SG1 was hiding. Two more had Ariston on his knees before a figure now occupying the throne. When the Goa'uld turned his head Sam narrowed her eyes. Zipacna. They'd seen little of the Goa'uld since Skaraa's trial on Tollana, though Tok'ra intelligence had named him as the one responsible for the attack on Revana, costing both Lantash and young Elliot their lives. It seemed the rumors of his service to Anubis were true. Well then, Sam thought, he'd picked the wrong Goa'uld to back.

The Goa'uld held the device SG1 was searching for.

Fortunately, Sam guessed, he didn't seem to know what the object did, or he wouldn't be bothering with questioning Ariston.

She tapped Daniel's leg and caught Teal'c's eye, gesturing toward the two Jaffa nearest the door. She grabbed her zat more tightly in her hand, wishing they'd been able to find their own weapons as they escaped the cells. She'd prefer to face a Goa'uld with her P90. She held up her free hand, counting down from three fingers.

At one she rolled into the chamber, leaving room for Daniel and Teal'c to storm in, each taking out one of the sentries by the door. Sam ignored the others, aiming for Zipacna. A zat wouldn't kill him; she doubted it would even stun him more than momentarily. However, it might confuse the other Jaffa long enough for Teal'c and Daniel to take them out, and paralyze Zipacna enough so he couldn't beam out with Hephaestus' weapon. The energy discharged from her weapon, hitting Zipacna square in the chest just as he was turning toward the sound of Daniel and Teal'c's guns. He fell backward, the weapon dropping from his fingers.

The Jaffa holding Ariston dropped the man and fired their staff weapons at SG1 even as Daniel and Teal'c fired back on them from behind Sam's position. Ducking beneath the fire Sam was halfway across the room when Ariston jumped up, snatching the Goa'uld weapon from the floor. She barely registered the Jaffa falling before the man was pointing the weapon at her. "Give it to me, Ariston!"

"No!" He growled at her as he moved back toward the wall, "This kills those things," he nodded toward Zipacna who was already climbing to his feet. "Stay back."

She ignored him, counting on the weapon being useless to a human and moved forward, firing her zat at him as she advanced. Zipacna lunged for the fallen Jaffa, and she could hear the discharge of a staff weapon behind her as she dove on the unconscious human and ripped the Goa'uld killing device from his hands.

She turned to see Daniel crumpled on the floor, Zipacna raising his staff again in Teal'c's direction. Instinctively she lifted Hephaestus' weapon, pointing it at the Goa'uld and depressing the small button on its top.

Zipacna seemed to be surrounded by a bright light for a moment, before falling to the ground motionless. Teal'c moved to kick the staff weapon away from him, as Sam raced to check Daniel.

"He is dead." Teal'c looked up to where Sam knelt next to their teammate, her hands pressing against a wound in his stomach. Her eyes were stricken as she met his.

"He took a direct hit, Teal'c. I…" She stopped, took a shuddering breath, and then straightened her back. "He's bleeding badly. We have to stop the hemorrhaging. And we're going to need to make sure there aren't any more Jaffa around." She pulled her jacket from her shoulders, folding it into a pad and pressing it against Daniel's abdomen. "Hang on Daniel. Hang on."

Teal'c rose, his face grave as he assessed Daniel's condition. Wordlessly he collected the staff weapons, laying one near Sam's feet. "I will find our packs, and retrieve the medical supplies Colonel Carter. And I will make certain no more Jaffa have accompanied Zipacna."

"The Jaffa in here?"

"I am afraid they are all dead as well, Colonel Carter." Sam knew Teal'c would have preferred to give them the chance to join the rebellion. "I will take that one with me," he strode to Ariston, lifting the unconscious man to his shoulder, "And find a place of safety in which to keep him from troubling us further."

Sam nodded, pressing harder on the still bleeding wound. "Dammit Daniel! Don't you dare die on me again. Do you hear me? You hold on till we contact the SGC, do you hear me?"

Later she would never be able to remember exactly how long she knelt there with Daniel's blood soaking her jacket before Teal'c returned, packs in hand, and pushing a reluctant Thais ahead of him.

"Colonel Carter. Thais informs me that there are no more Jaffa in the complex. Few of Ariston's men remain; the others have run to the village. Kopris is dead. Zipacna arrived by Al'kesh. I am unaware if there is a mothership in orbit." He dropped one of the packs next to Sam, reaching in to pull out a medical kit.

Sam nodded, pushing her hair back with one bloodied hand, leaving a crimson streak behind. "We don't have much time. His vitals…" she looked up to meet Teal'c's eyes, "They're weakening." He wouldn't survive the trek to the gate, that much was clear. And Sam was afraid Daniel wouldn't last the time it would take for Teal'c to return with help. "Are our radios there?"

"They are."

"Good. Take one with you. I want you to go to the Gate and bring back help." Sam glanced up at the Jaffa, pulling gauze from the packet of medical supplies, "Make sure it's on. We've missed at least two check-ins with the SGC. If they call to check on us before you get back to the Gate they can get a rescue team here that much quicker." She pulled her jacket away from Daniel's stomach, frowning at the size of the wound. Her voice shook as she added, "Hopefully soon."

Teal'c rose with a nod, "Very well Colonel Carter."

Sam knew it was futile. Daniel wouldn't last until Teal'c made it out of the pyramid complex, let alone through town and to the Stargate. She blinked her eyes furiously as she looked up at the Jaffa. She didn't need to tell him to hurry; she knew Teal'c would do no less than run the entire distance.

"Excuse me." Both turned toward Thais who had moved quietly to one side of the room. He approached them now, hands clasped around the healing device. "I know you said you didn't know how…but…" He held the device to Sam who took it slowly, staring at it with huge eyes.

After a moment she lifted them to meet Teal'c's gaze. "I haven't touched one of these things since Daniel…" Her voice broke off as she looked down to slip the device hesitantly over her palm.

Teal'c crouched across from her, "I have confidence in you, Colonel Carter."

She nodded and held the device over Daniel's stomach, squeezing her eyes tight in concentration. After a moment she opened them, the healing device was still inert. She took another breath and held it for a moment. It shook as she blew it out. "The last time…the last time I made it worse."

Teal'c gave a slow nod, "But you will not this time. Even Selmak was unsure if a healing device could cure such wounds as Daniel Jackson sustained on Kelowna. It was not your fault, Colonel Carter."

"It was," Sam whispered, but she lifted the healing device again nonetheless. To not try surely would kill him. This time when she closed her eyes a weak light glowed from the device, but the wound on Daniel's stomach remained gaping, and his breath continued in shallow gasps. "Dammit!"

Her eyes landed on the fallen Goa'uld, "I could use the damn weapon! Why was it so easy for me to kill, and so damned hard to save Daniel's life?"

Teal'c's hand came out to rest on Sam's shoulder. "Colonel Carter." He waited until she turned back, her eyes once again locked with his. "It is always an easier matter to kill than to heal. Killing merely requires a great burst of power. It does not require control. I am confident that you have both."

Sam nodded and took a deep breath. This time when she let it out it was steady. She gave Teal'c a small smile of gratitude before holding the healing device once more over Daniel's still form. As she did the device glowed a deep red, and Daniel's wound closed before their eyes. His breathing evened out after a few moments, and his pallor seemed to subside.

Sam dropped her hand wearily, letting the device fall to the floor. She pressed her fingers against Daniel's neck; relief flooded her as his pulse beat steadily beneath her skin. "He's better." She nodded at the Lemnan man who stood off to the side, "Thank you."

Teal'c rose then, "I will go to the Stargate for assistance, I will return as quickly as I can."

"I know you will." Sam sank into a sitting position, Daniel's wrist cradled in her palm, "And Teal'c? Thanks."

_Epilogue _

The wormhole snapped closed behind them as Daniel was wheeled away to the infirmary, protesting all the way that he was fine and didn't need a gurney. Sam stood with Teal'c and Jack at the bottom of the ramp, watching as Dr. Brightman pushed him out of the room and down the corridor.

"I believe Daniel Jackson is going to make a full recovery."

Jack grinned, "Sure sounds like it."

Teal'c bowed to Sam, then Jack. "I will accompany Daniel Jackson to the infirmary. The doctor may need details about the nature of his injury."

"Thanks, T." Jack turned and glanced at Sam, pointing to her scalp. "You sure you're all right Carter?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion for a moment as she lifted her hand to her head, fingers combing through crusty dried blood. "Oh. I'm fine sir. It's not mine." She brushed her hand against her BDU pants. "Sir. One of Ariston's men did end up assisting us. So did a little girl we met. Anubis knows about Lemnos now and…"

"Relax Carter. SG3 is staying behind to help relocate the planet's inhabitants. I'm sending SGs 11 and 13 to help."

"Thank you, sir."

"Belda is waiting in my office. I'll tell her about Regarus." Jack glanced up at the third floor observation window. "Go get yourself poked and prodded Carter. Briefing is at 1500."

"Yes sir." Sam nodded and turned toward the door, slipping her hands in her pockets as she did. Her fingers closed around a small metal oval. "Oh! Sir?" She turned back to Jack, "I almost forgot your souvenir." She tossed the device to him, "Regarus' device. It's similar to the device the Ashrak used to kill Jolinar, except it works instantly and quietly."

"Sweet." Jack closed his fingers around the object, looking up to meet Sam's eyes. "Excellent work, Carter."


End file.
